The SEC charged Gryphon Holdings Inc., a Staten Island, N.Y.-based investment advisory firm, its owner, and four associates with operating an Internet-based scam that misleads investors into paying fees for phony stock tips and investment advice from fictional trading experts. The SEC obtained an emergency court order to freeze the assets of the firm and individuals involved.

The SEC alleges that Gryphon Holdings Inc., owner Kenneth E. Marsh, and the Gryphon associates induced investors to pay fees of up to $250,000 for securities recommendations that they falsely claim are based on sound research and successful strategies of trading experts with superior knowledge. In an effort to lend legitimacy to the firm's advisory business, Gryphon touts trading experts with fake names who boast millions of dollars in trading riches as well as top-notch educational backgrounds and prominent experience at major Wall Street firms. Gryphon representatives even fabricated glowing testimonials from George Soros and purported clients who profited by trading securities the firm recommended.

According to the SEC's complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, investors who followed the guidance of Gryphon's purported experts have suffered significant losses by trading on those tips or, in at least one instance, by allowing Gryphon to trade on their behalf.

The Honorable Jack B. Weinstein of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York granted the SEC's request for a temporary restraining order and asset freeze against the Defendants and six others named as Relief Defendants.: